Around the World with Josiah Allen's Wife

Marietta Holley

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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. Our son, Thomas Jefferson, and his wife, Maggie, have been wadin' through a sea of trouble. He down with inflamatory rumatiz so a move or jar of any kind, a fly walkin' over the bedclothes, would most drive him crazy; and she with nervious prostration, brought on I spoze by nussin' her pardner and her youngest boy, Thomas Josiah (called Tommy), through the measles, that had left him that spindlin' and weak-lunged that the doctor said the only thing that could tone up his system and heal his lungs and save his life would be a long sea voyage. He had got to be got away from the cold fall blasts of Jonesville to once. Oh! how I felt when I heard that ultimatum and realized his danger, for Tommy wuz one of my favorites. Grandparents ort not to have favorites, but I spoze they will as long as the world turns on its old axletrys.

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819916550
• Langue: English

Extrait

CHAPTER I
Our son, Thomas Jefferson, and his wife, Maggie,have been wadin' through a sea of trouble. He down with inflamatoryrumatiz so a move or jar of any kind, a fly walkin' over thebedclothes, would most drive him crazy; and she with nerviousprostration, brought on I spoze by nussin' her pardner and heryoungest boy, Thomas Josiah (called Tommy), through the measles,that had left him that spindlin' and weak-lunged that the doctorsaid the only thing that could tone up his system and heal hislungs and save his life would be a long sea voyage. He had got tobe got away from the cold fall blasts of Jonesville to once. Oh!how I felt when I heard that ultimatum and realized his danger, forTommy wuz one of my favorites. Grandparents ort not to havefavorites, but I spoze they will as long as the world turns on itsold axletrys.
He looks as Thomas J. did when he wuz his age and Imarried his pa and took the child to my heart, and got his imageprinted there so it won't never rub off through time or eternity.Tommy is like his pa and he hain't like him; he has his pa's oldways of truthfulness and honesty, and deep – why good land! therehain't no tellin' how deep that child is. He has got big gray-blueeyes, with long dark lashes that kinder veil his eyes when he'sthinkin'; his hair is kinder dark, too, about the color his pa'swuz, and waves and crinkles some, and in the crinkles it seems asif there wuz some gold wove into the brown. He has got a sweetmouth, and one that knows how to stay shet too; he hain't much of atalker, only to himself; he'll set and play and talk to himself forhours and hours, and though he's affectionate, he's a independentchild; if he wants to know anything the worst kind he will set andwonder about it (he calls it wonner). He will say to himself, "Iwonner what that means." And sometimes he will talk to Carabi aboutit – that is a child of his imagination, a invisible playmate hehas always had playin' with him, talkin' to him, and I spozeimaginin' that Carabi replies. I have asked him sometimes, "Who isCarabi, I hearn you talkin' to out in the yard? Where duz he comefrom! How duz he look?"
He always acts shy about tellin', but if pressedhard he will say, "He looks like Carabi, and he comes from righthere," kinder sweepin' his arms round. But he talks with him by thehour, and I declare it has made me feel fairly pokerish to hearhim. But knowin' what strange avenoos open on every side into themysterious atmosphere about us, the strange ether world that boundsus on every pint of the compass, and not knowin' exactly whatnatives walk them avenoos, I hain't dasted to poke too much fun athim, and 'tennyrate I spozed if Tommy went a long sea-voyage Carabiwould have to go too. But who wuz goin' with Tommy? Thomas J. hadgot independent rich, and Maggie has come into a large property;they had means enough, but who wuz to go with him? I felt themantilly of responsibility fallin' on me before it fell, and Igroaned in sperit – could I, could I agin tempt the weariness anddanger of a long trip abroad, and alone at that? For I tackledJosiah on the subject before Thomas J. importuned me, only with hiseyes, sad and beseechin' and eloquent. And Josiah planted himselffirm as a rock on his refusal.
Never, never would he stir one step on a longsea-voyage, no indeed! he had had enough of water to last himthrough his life, he never should set foot on any water deeper thanthe creek, and that wuzn't over his pumps. "But I cannot see thechild die before my eyes, Josiah, and feel that I might have savedhim, and yet am I to part with the pardner of my youth and middleage? Am I to leave you, Josiah?" "I know not!" sez he wildly, "onlyI know that I don't set my foot on any ship, or any furren shoreagin. When I sung 'hum agin from a furren shore' I meant hum aginfor good and all, and here I stay." "Oh dear me!" I sithed, "why isit that the apron strings of Duty are so often made of black crape,but yet I must cling to 'em?" "Well," sez Josiah, "what clingin' Ido will be to hum; I don't go dressed up agin for months, and hanground tarvens and deepos, and I couldn't leave the farmanyway."
But his mean wuz wild and haggard; that man worshipsme. But dear little Tommy wuz pinin' away; he must go, and tonobody but his devoted grandma would they trust him, and I knewthat Philury and Ury could move right in and take care ofeverything, and at last I sez: "I will try to go, Thomas J., I willtry to go 'way off alone with Tommy and leave your pa – – ." Buthere my voice choked up and I hurried out to give vent to sometears and groans that I wouldn't harrow Thomas J. with. Butstrange, strange are the workin's of Providence! wonderful are theways them apron strings of Duty will be padded and embroidered,strange to the world's people, but not to them that consider thewonderful material they are made of, and how they float out fromthat vast atmosphere jest spoke on, that lays all round us full ofriches and glory and power, and beautiful surprises for them thatcling to 'em whether or no. Right at this time, as if our sharpdistress had tapped the universe and it run comfort, two relationsof Maggie's, on their way home from Paris to San Francisco, stoppedto see their relations in Jonesville on their own sides.
Dorothy Snow, Maggie's cousin, wuz a sweet younggirl, the only child of Adonirum Snow, who left Jonesville poor asa rat, went to Californy and died independent rich. She wuz jestout of school, had been to Paris for a few months to take specialstudies in music and languages; a relation on her ma's side, a kindof gardeen, travelin' with her. Albina Meechim wuz a maiden ladyfrom choice, so she said and I d'no as I doubted it when I gotacquainted with her, for she did seem to have a chronic dislike toman, and havin' passed danger herself her whole mind wuz sot onpreventin' Dorothy from marryin'.
They come to Maggie's with a pretty, good naturedFrench maid, not knowin' of the sickness there, and Maggie wouldn'tlet 'em go, as they wuz only goin' to stay a few days. They wuzhurryin' home to San Francisco on account of some bizness thatdemanded Dorothy's presence there. But they wuz only goin' to stopthere a few days, and then goin' to start off on another longsea-voyage clear to China, stoppin' at Hawaii on the way. Warmclimate! good for measles! My heart sunk as I hearn 'em tell on't.Here wuz my opportunity to have company for the long sea-voyage.But could I – could I take it? Thomas Jefferson gently approachedthe subject ag'in. Sez he, "Mother, mebby Tommy's life depends onit, and here is good company from your door." I murmured sunthin'about the expenses of such a trip.
Sez he, "That last case I had will more than pay allexpenses for you and Tommy, and father if he will go, and," sez he,"if I can save my boy – " and his voice trembled and he stopped."But," I sez, "your father is able to pay for any trip we want totake." And he says, "He won't pay a cent for this." And there itwuz, the way made clear, good company provided from the doorstep.Dorothy slipped her soft little white hand in mine and sez, "Do go,Aunt Samantha. May I call you Auntie?" sez she, as she lifted hersweet voylet eyes to mine. She's as pretty as a pink – whitecomplected, with wavy, golden hair and sweet, rosy lips andcheeks.
And I sez, "Yes, you dear little creater, you maycall me aunt in welcome, and we be related in a way," sez I.
Sez Miss Meechim, "We shall consider it a great boonif you go with us. And dear little Tommy, it will add greatly tothe pleasure of our trip. We only expected to have three in ourcompany." "Who is the third?" sez I. "My nephew, Robert Strong. Hehas been abroad with us, but had to go directly home to SanFrancisco to attend to his business before he could go on this longtrip; he will join us there. We expect to go to Hawaii and thePhilippines, and Japan and China, and perhaps Egypt." "And thatwill be just what you will enjoy, mother," sez Thomas J.
Sez I, in a strange axent, "I never laid plans forgoing to China, but," sez I, "I do feel that I would love to seethe Empress, Si Ann. There is sunthin' that the widder Heinfong ortto know."
Thomas J. asked me what it wuz, but I gentlydeclined to answer, merely sayin' that it was a matter of duty, andso I told Miss Meechim when she asked about it. She is so bigfeelin' that it raised me up considerable to think that I hadbusiness with a Empress. But I answered her evasive, and agin I givvent to a low groan, and sez to myself, "Can I let the PacificOcean roll between me and Josiah? Will Duty's apron string hold upunder the strain, or will it break with me? Will it stretch outclear to China? And oh! will my heart strings that are wrappedcompletely round that man, will they stretch out the enormouslength they will have to and still keep hull?" I knew not. I wuz aprey to overwhelmin' emotions, even as I did up my best night-gownsand sheepshead night-caps and sewed clean lace in the neck andsleeves of my parmetty and gray alpaca and got down my hair trunk,for I knew that I must hang onto that apron string no matter whereit carried me to. Waitstill Webb come and made up some things Imust have, and as preparations went on my pardner's face grewhaggard and wan from day to day, and he acted as if he knew notwhat he wuz doin'. Why, the day I got down my trunk I see him startfor the barn with the accordeon in a pan. He sot out to get milkfor the calf. He was nearly wild.
He hadn't been so good to me in over four years.Truly, a threatened absence of female pardners is some like a bigmustard poultice applied to the manly breast drawin' out theconcealed stores of tenderness and devotion that we know are thereall the time, but sometimes kep' hid for years and years.
He urged me to eat more than wuz good for me – richstuff that I never did eat – and bought me candy, which Isarahuptishly fed to the pup. And he follered me round withfootstools, and het the soap stun hotter than wuz good for my feet,an